Makbeth revisited: a madcap tragedy in masks at the Théâtre du Rond-Point

From November 20 to December 13, 2025, Munstrum Théâtre revisits Makbeth in a gritty, masked version, blending Shakespearean tragedy and black burlesque.

From November 20 to December 13, 2025, the Théâtre du Rond-Point welcomes Munstrum Théâtre 's audacious reinterpretation of Makbeth. The company founded by Louis Arene and Lionel Lingelser continues its work on monstrous figures, troubled identities and excess, taking on Shakespeare's text in a baroque, physical version.

True to its masked-play aesthetic, the Munstrum tackles one of the darkest dramas in the classical repertoire. On a war-torn moor, Captain Makbeth, hailed for his military victories, sees a royal future after the prophecy of three mysterious creatures. Manipulated and supported by his wife, he crosses the line into the irreversible by murdering the king. His thirst for power, fueled by fear and guilt, leads him on a chaotic descent where reason and morality collapse.

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This Makbeth is distinguished by its staging of grotesque metamorphoses, tonal shifts and acid humor. The theater of cruelty, dear to the company, is expressed here in an unstable balance between the horror of tragic destiny and the comic shift introduced by the mask. The strong visual dimension seems to participate in a form of theatrical exorcism, in which bodies become vehicles of a power that is both fascinating and destructive.

This show may particularly appeal to fans of physical theater, hybrid forms combining classical text and visual theater, as well as those interested in contemporary proposals questioning power, violence and representation. On the other hand, it may surprise or disorient audiences looking for a more traditional staging of Shakespeare's text.

After its forays into Molière's repertoire, Munstrum Théâtre here pursues an approach of poetic transgression, plunging into the shadow of a tragic hero to better reveal the monsters we all carry within ourselves.

This article is based on publicly available information and is not based on direct experience of the show.

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